The Bachelor alum Catherine Giudici says although she knew casting for Sean Lowe's season had "spots to fill" for people of color and she filled one of them, she thinks casting did "a wonderful job" and she's proud to have represented the "minority group."
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Earlier this week, Catherine took to Instagram to express how she felt like she was cast on The Bachelor's seventeenth season for diversity and didn't think Sean, a blonde and blue-eyed college football player from Texas, would pick her in the end.
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Catherine explained how it felt to write those words and share her thoughts publicly during a June 9 video interview with Entertainment Tonight, for which Sean joined her from their home.
"Well, I think it wasn't like a revelation that I had. I think going into it, I knew, 'Well, they have spots to fill,' and that's nothing against casting. They did a wonderful job! Season after season, they know what they're doing," Catherine said.
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"They cast for the lead and then they cast for the show. And I was lucky to be one of the people that was chosen. I got to represent the minority group, and I was happy to."
When Catherine shared her Instagram post earlier this week to reflect on her time on Sean's The Bachelor season, she revealed she believed that, as a Filipino woman, she was probably cast on the show to "check a box" for diversity.
"That might have a negative connotation to it, where they have spots to fill, but I think they did a really good job on our season to cast for Sean because he actually has dated and has been attracted to people that are from all different walks of life and all different looks," Catherine shared.
"I'm glad I got to represent Filipinos and people of color on a show that usually airs towards a lot of white people."
Catherine insisted "it wasn't hard to write" her heartfelt Instagram message, which she posted before The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons -- Ever! premiered and featured Sean's The Bachelor edition condensed into a three-hour highlights episode.
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"I think [my post] definitely made me think about how I counted myself out as a person of color because of what I thought Sean would like, and I didn't know. I just thought, 'Okay, he's a beautiful, blonde, nice boy from Texas. On paper, we couldn't be more different," Catherine explained.
"So I kind of already was like, 'He's not going to pick me. We're going to have fun and I'm going to have a good experience.' But that wasn't obviously the only reason I was there."
"There were a lot of other reasons of why I was appreciative of being selected to be on the show, and I'm just glad that I got to represent the minorities," the mother of three concluded.
Catherine's father is of Swiss-Italian and Scottish descent, while her mother is a Filipino-American, according to People.
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Catherine was one of 26 women to step out of a limo at the famed Bachelor mansion on Night 1 of Sean's season and only one of a few ladies of color.
Although Catherine clearly didn't think she stood much of a chance, Sean and Catherine got engaged during the 2013 season finale of The Bachelor and got married in January 2014 for a televised special on ABC.
Sean and Catherine are the only couple in The Bachelor's 24-season history to tie the knot after getting engaged at the show's final Rose Ceremony.
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While Jason Mesnick and Arie Luyendyk Jr. are both happily married, each former Bachelor dumped his season's final-rose recipient for the runner-up. (Jason is married to Molly Malaney and Arie's wife is Lauren Burnham).
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Since tying the knot, Sean and Catherine have welcomed three children together: daughter Mia, 5 months, and sons Isaiah Hendrix, 2, and Samuel Thomas, 3 1/2.
Mia was born in December 2019 shortly before Christmas, and Isaiah and Samuel were welcomed into the world in May 2018 and July 2016, respectively.
Catherine shared with Us Weekly in January 2019 how she and Sean have managed to last all these years together when so many The Bachelor and The Bachelorette couples have split.
"Things get hard, but when you realize you don't ever want to say goodbye to the other person, you have to make it work!" Catherine reasoned.
"There are only two options: Don't or do. And we always wanted to do whatever it takes to stay together."
The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons -- Ever!, hosted by Chris Harrison, is a new retrospective spinoff that revisits and recaps an entire prior season of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette in a single three-hour broadcast.
Each Monday night, Harrison will reach into the Bachelor vault to provide viewers with a look back at a favorite prior season -- including crushing Rose Ceremonies, passionate marriage proposals, unexpected new arrivals, emotional meltdowns, big breakups, and romantic moments.
The episodes will also include virtual updates from The Bachelor franchise alums, who will reveal what's been happening in their lives ever since the final rose.
Given the next The Bachelorette season starring Clare Crawley has yet to begin production due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Harrison said in April this spinoff gives Bachelor Nation something to watch amid these uncertain and unpredictable times.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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